In this episode Heather interviews Jerry Palm, sports writer and bracketologist for CBS Sports.
Tune-in to hear their conversation on:
“I've never been a big fan of that word.” - Dubbed a Bracketologist, Jerry explains the basics of what he does and how he blends the data with behavioral science to make his predictions for NCAA Tournament selection and brackets as well as College Football Playoffs.
“I kinda put the geek in sports geek. But, when I'm on television I can't really geek it up too much because people's eyes will glaze over.” - Jerry's work at CBS Sports on and off the screen.
“I never thought anybody would care about this.” - With the goal of developing his programmer skills, how Jerry got started with sport predictions and took it from a hobby to a career.
“It's hard to social distance on a football field.” - Predicting during COVID and how it has impacted college athletics and the communities built around them.
“We got bought by one bank too many.” - How getting downsized in 2002 from his banking job pushed Jerry to pursue his passion.
Connect with Jerry
CBS Sports - https://www.cbssports.com/writers/jerry-palm/
Basketball - https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/bracketology/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-palm-b544286/
Twitter - @jppalmCBS
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jppalmcbs/
Jerry Palm
Jerry Palm started writing about sports on the Internet right after Al Gore invented it. In 1994, he was the first to bring the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index out in the open and is one of the pioneers of predicting the March Madness bracket. After tracking it for more than 25 years, he understands the NCAA Tournament selection process as well as those involved in setting the bracket. When the Bowl Championship Series was created in 1998, Jerry brought his same statistical and analytical know-how to football. That has continued with the BCS's evolution into the College Football Playoff, which began in 2015. In the beginning, Jerry was publishing on his own websites CollegeRPI.com and CollegeBCS.com. In 2011, Jerry moved over to CBS Sports, where he has been ever since.
Mavens Do It Better original theme music composed by Jesse Case with voice over by Julia Francis.